Valis: Warrior of Infinity
by ZeLoz -akaBill
Summary: The world of Dreams is threatened by Overlord Rogles and his troop of dark lords. Only a young japanese schoolgirl by the name of Yuko Ahso and the legendary Sword of Valis stands between him and the completion of his ambition! A Mugen Senshi Valis Fanfic
1. ACT 0: Night

**Valis – Warrior of Infinity (Valis – The Fantasm Soldier Fanfic)**

**ACT 0: Night**

**ZeLoz (aka Bill)**

From atop the Castle Vanity, at night, one could see the deep, majestic blue of the endless night sky, dotted with shining pearls and stretching into endlessness. Below, one could also spot the surrounding kingdom; its denizens mostly asleep with small lights stippling the primitive cityscape. Beyond the city limits, the moonlight illuminated the dark emerald hills, blades of grass and meadow billowing playfully in the cooling night wind. Vecanti was a thing of beauty at night, fitting for the fabled Land of Dreams.

But this night was no such night.

"It was a foolish move, Rogles, deciding to attack my kingdom head-on," Valia remarked, readying the brilliant Valis sword, which coruscated with an intense brightness that pierced the deep night, at her side, "My forces are decimating your fiends as we speak."

"And yet, here I am, posing a very valid threat on your life," the Demon Lord Rogles retorted, levitating well above his quarry. His black cape undulated in the harsh, rainy squall, his golden mask shining in the black fusillade of sharp wind, icy water, and soupy darkness.

The sky was garroted by the rising smoke of the battlefield, where the vicious demons and monstrosities of Rogles did battle with Valia's devoted knights. Though victory was in sight for the latter, this was not without heavy losses from both sides. The battle raged on, with the storm assailing all participants, taxing endlessly the endurance and morale. Detracted from this battlefield were the very forepersons of the conflict, both locked within their own mortal engagement.

"Rogles, what do you wish to gain from such foolishness? Prior to your farce, I have had no quarrel with you or your ilk," The wary empress stood valiantly, clutching her blessed blade tightly.

"Your seat of power has gone unchallenged for too long. The hour of resignation is at hand." His empty voice stated coldly.

Drawing a well-armored arm from the depths of his mantle, he amassed a large concentration of energy within his palm, which he then swung downward at Valia. The glowing sphere of energy split into luminescent rings, all of which flew straight for their target. The bands were easily dispelled by a strong sweep of the sword, which released it's own wave of energy homed in on the shadowy figure above. He deftly threw off the assaulting sword beam with stunning agility and swooped down to his adversary for a more direct tactic. Valia made her own move to quickly close the distance between the two, gripping the ancient sword with both hands and bringing it down upon Rogles. Again, he eluded her attack and used a counter blast of energy to knock Valia into the air. However, though she was quite old, Valia reoriented herself and somersaulted, landing her feet onto the ground with nary a scratch or sign of fatigue.

"It's hard to believe you have been the empress for so long, what with such acrobatic skill. And to think you have a daughter," Rogles mused.

"Two, actually," Valia corrected, breaking out into a dead sprint.

Rogles knew clearly that it would be folly to try to parry such a sword as the Valis sword. No armor, especially not his armor of hardened shadow and blood, could stand against the god-like power of that blade. His only recourse was to evade yet again and rely on a counter blow.

Valia swung again, but only to cut through the turbulent wind. Rogles did a back dash maneuver while gathering colossal amounts of energy into his palms. He brought his hands together, triggering a great beam of black magic aimed at Valia. Swiftly, she brought back up her sword, easily cutting through the massive beam.

"Such brute force attacks will only hasten your demise, Rogles!" Valia exclaimed, swinging her sword against the fierce wind, creating another crescent-shaped gale intermixed with mystic energy from the blade. Rogles brought up his other arm to guard against the attack, but a slight underestimation prevented him from foreseeing the more-than-slight recoil received from the blade of wind, knocking the defending arm away from his front to his side. Taking advantage of this slight disorientation, Valia went in for the killing blow.

"This is the end, Rogles!"

But just as Valia's blazing sword was about to make contact with her adversary, it connected with a reflective flash of silver. To her surprise, another sword abruptly stopped Valia's attack, and behind this sword stood a rose-haired swordswoman in black armor, who seemed to be in the service of Rogles. The young woman cast a fiery glare at Valia, which, for a split second, compromised her concentration.

This was the perfect chance for Rogles.

Seeing Valia taken aback, Rogles realized that she had not noticed his undamaged hand gathering a black mass of concentrated power aimed at her chest. From under his visor, Rogles grinned wickedly.

An incredible burning force gripped the distracted Valia's side, which sent her spiraling through the night sky and into a nearby wall. As she made impact, a small bit of blood shot out of her mouth and more trickled slightly from the ends of her lips. The Valis sword had flown out of her hand and clanged unceremoniously at her side. Using her now free hand, she felt the charred spot of her robes, when a feeling of dread far greater than the intense shot of pain overcame her. Something was missing. Something was terribly wrong.

"What's the matter, Valia?" Rogles cackled ominously, "You look as if you've lost something of particular importance."

From the palm of his smoking hand, Valia could see clearly through the stormy gale six gleaming stones, shining with such urgent intensity as if they were calling out to her, to be snatched away from Rogles's shadowy palm and constricting fingers.

"Th... The Fantasm Jewels!!! You...!"

"That's right, Valia! To think you, the wise matriarch of the Land of Dreams, would foolishly carry around such a treasure with you into battle! Now, thanks to my Champion, here, you've lost your trump card!"

Rogles looked out into the battlefield before Castle Vanity. The rain had gone, and crimson rays of the rising sun started to rise from the horizon. The battle out there was concluding, if not already finished.

"It looks like you were right, Valia," Rogles snickered sarcastically, "My forces look to have been thoroughly routed. You win this battle."

"You... fiend..." The wound left behind by Rogles point-blank assault was starting to take it's toll on Valia's aging body. She could not properly hold the Valis sword while holding the sharp pain in her chest, much less continue the fight.

"Shall I finish her off, Lord Rogles?" The young woman asked, beholding the sparkling, sapphire gems in her master's possession.

"No, we will take our leave for now. I needed only to humble this great ruler, and to show her who is worthy to rule."

He then turned to the defeated monarch, "Listen well, o benevolent ruler of Vecanti. If you are fool enough to continue this war, then there shall be no quarter for you or those who swear allegiance to your authority. The Valis sword may still be in your possession, but I have the Fantasm jewels. With these, the strongest of your forces will tremble to my power. I leave you now, Empress. Your reign is over."

With that, the two disappeared in a black flash.

"Mother!" It wasn't two seconds after Rogles' departure that Valia heard the panicked footsteps of someone ascending the nearby staircase.

From the passageway leading into the castle, a young maiden with light blue hair and billowing ceremonial robes of royalty ran to her mother's side, face pale with horror.

"Valna, what... what are you doing here?" Valia asked feebly with a voice broken with enervation.

"No, you mustn't speak. Here, I'll take you to your chambers. I'll summon the castle nurses and..."

"But... No, Rogles must be stopped. He... He has the Fantasm jewels. Vecanti is in grave danger. I... I must...ugh..."

Valia tightly clutched the Valis sword and tried to rise, but Valna set her hand on her mother's back to restrain her. Such recklessness would only aggravate the dire wound.

"No, mother. You are much too weak to do battle. I'll take care of this."

"Valna, Rogles power is too great. Only one capable of wielding the Sword of Valis could possibly stop that... that monster."

"You'll die if you are not treated soon! I must go, mother. It is in my blood to inherit the sword."

"No... not your blood. There is another... another one who can wield... Valis..."

"Who?" Valna's voice became desperate, shaking with intense fear and anxiety from uncertainty.

"There is... one in Assiah... the world of humans. I must contact... her. I... I must... contact... Yuko..."

In the lavender eyes of Valia, the world went dark as consciousness eluded her. Valna quickly carried her mother to her chambers to take care of the injuries, and at the same time wondered who is it that her mother spoke about, and why this potential wielder of the Valis sword resided in the human world.

Through the stain glass windows of Vecanti, a golden light vanquished the dreadful night of bloodletting. A new dawn had come to Vecanti, providing naught but brief respite from the looming nightmare over the world of dreams.


	2. ACT 1:Momentary Lapse in Reason

Author's Note: If you find this fanfic out of canon to Valis I's storyline, this is sometimes entirely intentional. For one: I haven't played the first game at the time I started this fanfic and two: I felt like elaborating more on what little storyline the actual game revealed. Remember, this is just a fanfic, not really a novelization. I took some liberties, and I hope you don't mind. Valis - The Fantasm Soldier or any of the characters in the game or series are not owned by me. All entities belong to their respective companies.

Valis – Warrior of Infinity

**ACT 1**: Momentary Lapse in Reason

"**Y**uko..."

From an hallucinatory emptiness, a voice beckoned.

"Yuko... answer me..."

The voice was warm, kind, and vaguely familiar. Yet, it contained some degree of urgency, as if it was a plea for help.

"Yuko... please..."

Though she tried to speak, her lips uttered no voice of response, and soon, the whisper-like plea soon could be heard no more. From the distance, the dreamlike enshrouding unraveled to reveal a High School classroom, with fellow classmates conversing amongst themselves. This setting resembled the typical school scene, with the usual nameless students chatting about the usual nameless things, providing nothing more than a mixed and unintelligible background noise. Outside, the sky was near pitch black, with rain pelting at the windows, adding to this garbled din. It was the usual picture of another day at school, only with a roaring storm outside.

But as they continued with their mindless banter, the many high school boys and girls, a glowing sliver of light suddenly materialized out of nowhere, near the back of the class and through thin air. With each second, this light started to take the shape of a blade. As more of this thin object was revealed, a glowing hilt could be seen at the end of this mysterious blade of brilliance, and at the hilt could be seen a deep blue gemstone encrusted, with a peculiarly mesmerizing glow

exuding from it. This alluring and omnipotent desire to grasp this thing of beauty overcame her with no explanation, and yet somehow did not even attract the faintest bit of attention from the other students. Still, she approached this strange

floating sword, as if possessed. As she made her way to the back of the room, the wistful call from the deep emptiness earlier began to ring in her ears again, the voice increasing in intensity with each subconscious step, until the shining

treasure was in grasping reach. Her fingers wrapped around it's ornamental hilt, giving her a strange, almost maddening sense of euphoria. A seemingly unlimited surge of power jolted through her entire body, and in a flash of light, her surroundings dissipated revealing nothing but blackened, shadowy sky in all directions, including below. Suddenly having nothing to stand on, her body was pulled downward, falling into nothingness. She tried to scream, as the dark depths below started to consume her, but again there was no voice, save another voice who beckoned out to her, but in a more menacing, vicious tone.

"Yuko... Yuko! Wake up!"

The sudden forcefulness of the voice startled her, causing her eyes to open up to Classroom 2-D and the fierce glower of Mrs. Ohara, the mathematics instructor for first years, from across the room.

"Yuko Ahso, this is the third time this week you've fallen asleep!" the witchy old hag exclaimed, face red as a beet while brandishing her meter stick like a disciplinary flail, "Next time, you'll be waking up to a detention with me to make up for your constant slacking!"

"I'm sorry, Ohara-sensei," Yuko muttered weakly as she cast down her eyes. Her face grew just as red as her teacher's, but out of a sense of extreme sheepishness.

Ignoring Yuko's timid apology, Mrs. Ohara went back to her lecture, speaking louder and more forcefully as to discourage any others contemplating attempts of sleep and awaken those teetering on the brink of unconsciousness. This, however, did not make her class any more interesting, and soon, Yuko's attention drifted yet again.

The year was 1986. In this particular time, in this particular High School in Japan, Yuko Ahso was a fifteen year old first year who considered herself the typical high school girl, though she was actually a bit more reserved than such, preferring to keep her few friends close and everyone else at a reasonable distance, but at the same time maintaining a polite and well-mannered air about her. Though not necessarily popular, Yuko could have been considered quite attractive. Her long, blue hair hung well below her shoulders, reaching down to the top brim of her blue skirt, and slightly puffed out over her forehead, as was the style in that day. Her white and blue long sleeve sailor-style school top fit snugly around her and her features, and her blue ruffled skirt reached below her knees and down to the top of her white socks, which covered the most part of her lower legs. Her eyes, a light bluish-pearl, usually gleamed with a blissful and naive glow when in a good mood and a slightly darker cerulean when saddened or cross. Yet, at that moment, her eyes were only half-open in boredom and exhaustion, with the bottom half of her face buried into her crossed arms, which acted as a cushion between her chin and the hard wooden desk.

Though she probably would've linked excessive homework with her constant tiredness if one were to ask, it was actually more or less the bizarre dreams she had been having lately. For the past five days, it was always the same voice calling out to her through the darkness, the same classroom that formed through the dream mist, the same mystic sword that materialized out of seemingly nowhere and drew her to it's celestial frame, and the same black emptiness that would swallow her at dream's end, usually ending the dream with Yuko screaming breathlessly, sweat layered over face and neck. Falling back to sleep after such a dream was a struggle that lasted the better part of the night when she woke up at 1:00 in the morning, resulting in minimal sleep and torturous exhaustion. Because of this dream, she had woken up late that morning (although Yuko had a feeling that her faulty alarm clock had something to do with this late awakening as well), and slept through most of her classes. Luckily, though, Mrs. Ohara was her final teacher of the day, and the following day would be the beginning of a week long school break. This was enough time to catch up on lost sleep over the week, Yuko hoped.

With each passing second, her eyelids became like heavy stones, crushing her struggling consciousness under its unbearable weight. As she struggled to listen to Mrs. Ohara's iteration of the quadratic formula, the feeling in her arms slowly fleeted her, and her thoughts once again drifted into a cloudy darkness.

"BOOM!!!"

Suddenly bewildered by such loud noise, Yuko looked out to a night-like sky, where black, ominous clouds suffocated most traces of sunlight and rain poured continuously from the black abyss above. As if it were responding to the loud snap of thunder, the school bell rung, signifying the end of that school day. Yuko's first impulse would have been to jump up from her desk and running out with her briefcase in all haste, but the sudden change in weather also changed her demeanor entirely. Like most students that day, she did not bring an umbrella in preparation for the storm, for it had been, mere seconds ago, bright and sunny that summer afternoon. She couldn't run all the way from the school to the subway station in such weather, meaning that her only recourse would be to wait outside under the awning of the front of the school as she watched her classmates run towards their homes, which were considerably closer than hers. Living on the very edge of the school limits was terrible, but it was this school that was the closest high school to her apartments. It was bothersome, but what choice did she have?

"Ay! What's with this storm all of the sudden?"

"Hurry! Akari-chan, let's go to Ichiraku's before we get all soaked and wet!"

"Yeah, some nice, warm ramen would be nice."

"Ramen? But what about that stuff about getting taiyaki?"

"_Dammit_! My Tale Phantasia book's gonna get all wet! Oh, if it gets wet...!"

"What? You still haven't done that book report yet?"

"Osa-kun, you idiot..."

"Oi..."

As the many students made their way past the emotionally (and physically) downed Yuko, she simply looked sadly outside the protection of the awning, wishing for freedom, but still trapped by bars of falling water. Beyond the cascade, she could see all sorts of buildings lining the streets, with the lively commercial district to her right, and the bustling industrial district to her left, which would lead her to the the subway. Back at home, her adoptive mother (Yuko was said to have been orphaned at a very young age, but for reasons unknown) would not be pleased with her being late, if the storm didn't provide a good excuse for her tardiness. And then there was the issue of how cold her food was going to be when she got home, should she ever get home, what with this storm showing up at just the right time to ruin what would have been a nice rest of the day. To her disheartened spirit, it seemed as if this storm would last forever, as if nature intended to torture her further.

Yuko shut her eyes and sighed deeply in disappointment. Yet, as if it was a response to her despair, the shower abruptly stopped after a few minutes of pelting, seemingly relentless rain. Yuko's eyes shot back open to find nothing but puddles that indicated that such a fierce storm had ever passed by. Just a few minutes ago, the sky was pitch black with endless clouds. Now, the sky was as clear as it had been prior to the flash storm.

"Thank goodness it stopped raining," Yuko sighed silently to herself as she stepped outside at last, "What strange weather..."

"You look pretty exhausted, Yuko." a voice of a young woman called from behind, "Were you taking a quick nap while waiting for the rain to stop?"

She turned to see a girl with medium-length red hair with amber eyes to match, holding up an umbrella to the clear sky. Reiko Kirishima was a fellow first year who was no older than Yuko, yet had lived a more troubled life than most young women would ever live. She had endured the somber pain and suffering that came with the divorce of two parents, and such misery was further compacted by the fact that her father, the parent she lived with, was an abusive drunkard who saw his only child as a failure. Reiko would have opted to have lived with another guardian, but her mother committed suicide shortly after the divorce, and she never knew her grandparents on either side, for they had died before her birth. With such emotional baggage, most people opted to distance themselves away from her and her personal problems. But Yuko, who had been her friend before such times of sadness and sorrow, kept by her side with unwavering commitment. If not for Yuko, her best friend since their days in the second grade, Reiko would have grown to have been a loner, without a single friend in the world.

Or at least that's how it had been before the start of their first high school year.

When Yuko and Reiko entered into high school, the first thing Yuko noticed was the fact that Reiko was gradually drifting away from her. Reiko had tendencies to constantly tune out the world, Yuko included, at times. She no longer spoke as much, and even refrained from eating lunch with her only friend. This saddened Yuko, but it didn't give her reason to give up on her. Hoping that this period of self-isolation was nothing but a phase, she constantly waited for the return of her friend, the innately gentle and kind Reiko.

This was the first time in five weeks that she had said something to Yuko.

"Rei...ko..." Yuko uttered, shocked that Reiko had approached her, and not in her usual melancholy expression, ""You... you have an umbrella?"

"What? You didn't know it was going to rain today?" Her tone and expression was more confident than Yuko had ever seen her, with such a matter-of-factly sound to her words, making the unsuspected shower seem like something obvious, "You might not want to hang around too long. It'll rain again, that I'm sure."

"But how do you know? That last storm caught me and just about everyone else off guard."

"I have a feeling. Just a hunch."

Yuko could see clearly now that Reiko had changed quite a bit since their last encounter. Something about her eyes made Yuko uneasy around her, as if she was talking to a totally different Reiko. She had an air of contentment about her. This wasn't the first time Yuko had seen Reiko happy before, but this all seemed quite uncanny. It was odd enough that Reiko would even approach her, let alone with an expression that was so unlike what Yuko was used to.

"Um... ok. How have things been with you? You seem... different."

"I've been just fine, Yuko. I haven't felt this good in so long, as a matter of fact."

"Eh? Really?" Yuko's eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat, "Why are you so happy?"

"You don't know? I'm leaving today. I'm going somewhere far, far away. Away from this school, away from my home, away from my miserable shell of a life." Her eyes glimmered with an insane happiness, as if she was anticipating some great, yet devious happening.

Yuko was baffled by her friend's words, who did not think to take such words at face value. What did Reiko mean by "away from my miserable shell of a life?" Where exactly was she going?

"When will you be back, Reiko? You're not going to be too far off, right?" Yuko tried to say jokingly, though her heart was in no mood for jest.

"Me? Return? I can't imagine why I would ever return here. I don't believe I will be coming back, Yuko, but I do feel as if we will meet again. Again, though, its just a hunch."

Reiko turned from Yuko and opened her umbrella, "It be best you head back now. The rain's bound to start again any time now. You wouldn't want to get wet, right?"

Without another word, Reiko walked into the now clouded horizon, away from the direction of her house, Yuko noticed.

"What... was that about?" Yuko mumbled to herself, "Reiko, you've changed. You seem happier, but why would you be so happy about leaving?"

Then the thought suddenly hit her. Maybe she was running away! Her father was noted for being particularly abusive, so maybe she became tired of such a life and decided to simply leave. So this was what Reiko meant by getting away from her miserable life! But, the outside world had it's own dangers. Could Reiko even survive such a lifestyle? Yuko couldn't just let her friend throw away her life. She had to be stopped!

"Reiko! Wait!"

Yuko quickly turned around to and called to her friend, but she quickly noticed that she was nowhere to be found. Just the empty street dotted with reflective puddles of rain and the buildings lining the sides could be seen. Yuko would've run after her, but the sky, with it's somber shades of ever darkening gray, discouraged further pursuit. She had to hurry to the subway, before it left her.

"Reiko, be safe," she whispered as she turned the opposite way, running as fast as her legs could take her towards the subway station.

As she descended the stairs, she heard another loud "CRACK" of thunder, followed by the pelting rain from above. Reiko had been right, thought Yuko. It was raining yet again.

However, by the time she got to the subway, this normally lively and crowded area was deathly silent, with no signs of life anywhere. There were no people waiting for their rides, no workers at the concession stalls, no subways pulling in. It seemed as if the tram had already left her.

"Oh no..." Yuko covered the sides of her pale face, dread beginning to cover her features. She had never been late for the subway before, and she did not know when the next one came in. This was bad. Surely, her mother would ground her for such irresponsible behavior. Her vacation was already over before it had even begun.

Slowly, Yuko trudged to the nearest seat, almost to the brink of tears. How could things have gone so wrong? First, she faced the sharp reprimand of her math teacher, then she witnessed what would probably be her last meeting with Reiko, and now she misses the subway. Going back up and walking was out of the question, especially with such fierce rain up top, but the next tram might not be coming for another two hours or so. She hoped her mother would be understanding, and she hoped that her food wouldn't get too cold.

As she sat, Yuko's thoughts wandered off into random things, such as if she had enough time to complete her book report, where exactly the new hamburger store had opened up, and the odd dreams she had been having for the past few nights. Thinking back on them, she suddenly recalled that there was a storm in that dream as well. It was probably just a coincidence, but for a moment it seemed a bit uncanny.

For what seemed like days, Yuko just sat and stared at the creme white wall before her, covered in aged tiles, some of them cracked. Tiredness, accumulated from her hectic day and her equally exhausting night, started to settle in once more. Setting her briefcase down at her side and folding her arms across her waist, Yuko slumped down into the seat and slowly closed her eyes.

Suddenly, there was a sudden jolt of vibration that shook the entire area violently, if only for a split second. Right at once, Yuko opened her eyes, wide with surprise, and scanned her surroundings.

"A tremor?" Yuko muttered to herself, continuing her search for any changes in her immediate area. Finding none, yet now unwilling to sleep, Yuko rose and stretched for a few seconds, awakening her sleepy joints and muscles and sighing deeply after she was done. It then suddenly occurred to her that there was a schedule posted further down the station, and that she could look at that, instead of wait for a train that might never come.

"Geez, I must be losing it," Yuko, her head sunk low, sighed, "I knew there was a schedule..."

Grabbing her briefcase, she walked further down the station, which was just as barren and lifeless as where she entered. Every seat was vacant, with not even the usual businessman there to occupy it's emptiness. Even more strange was the lack of subway employees. There were no attendants, people running the booths, or even janitors. It was almost as if the entire station was closed, if not for the lights being on.

Finally, she reached a large sign detailing the different routes the subways took and the times in which they pulled up to this particular station. Running her finger down the list of trains and destinations, she looked diligently for her stop.

But as she looked, a Yuko felt a something small and thin graze the side of her leg, like some sort of large insect antenna. Startled, she jumped back and looked down, spotting a large, black spot on the floor, with what appeared to be a thin, black tentacle sticking out of it. Yuko gasped, taking cautious steps away from this blackish mass.

"What in the world..."

From within the depths pitch black shadow, more sickly looking tentacles emerged, groping and flailing at thin air. Yuko watched warily as this monstrosity moved erratically. After what seemed like a minute of mindless waving, the unearthly tendrils of shadow took hold of the floor underneath and pushed downward, raising from the black spot a tumor-like bulb, covered in some sort of oily slime. From what looked like two raised spots on it's frontal area, glowing red eyes peeked out, returning Yuko's stare with it's own menacing look. The octopus-like creature stood still for a few seconds, with an unrelenting gaze, before slowly approaching, making disgusting sucking noises as it slithered forward.

Yuko tried her best to hold in the intense desire to scream at the top of her lungs and run as fast as she could away. However, her instincts told her that such reckless action could set off this lurching horror. But this thing, whatever it was, seemed to be targeting Yuko for some reason. Doing nothing wouldn't help at all, so she did the next best thing out of a sense of pure panic. Taking her suitcase, she swung it down onto the monster, hoping to crush it. But instead of a noisy splat, the suitcase's descent was abruptly stopped by it's tentacles, which forcefully snatched her suitcase away from her and under the black mass' form, where it started to devour the suitcase, using some sort of acidic saliva to dissolve the black leather and the books within into a grayish, pus-like fluid. After quickly sucking up all of what was once her school suitcase, the demonic octopus looked back up at a terrified Yuko, this time with a fierce look of hunger in it's eyes. Every bit of restraint Yuko had up until then had been done away with.

"KYAAA!" Yuko shrieked, turning on her heels and bolting to the opposite end of the station.

Running for a few seconds through the empty station to distance herself from this blackish abomination, Yuko failed to notice the black mass of tentacles that fell onto her shoulder until the sudden intense, burning sensation from her left. She yelped in pain as she ripped off the bulbous creature and threw it down onto the ground, but a small puddle of another monster's slime caused her to fall on her side, sending yet another jolt of pain through her system. Looking around to where she had felt that abrupt singe of pain, she could see that the monster's oozing saliva ate through most of what had once been the left shoulder of her uniform, revealing a nasty burn that seethed blood. Her rapidly mounting fear somewhat nulled what would've been excruciating discomfort, and she managed to stand, if only to find that within the shadows, more monster octopi started to take form at a rapid rate. The voluminous agglomeration of shadow stared at Yuko with shining red dots, watching her every move intently, and slowly closing the distance between them and her. Desperate, Yuko looked all around in search of a way out of this awful nightmare, and spotted the ever-so-convenient women's restroom behind her. She retreated into the lavatory without further thought, hoping that the shadowy masses couldn't slip through the push-open doors.

When she entered, she quickly made a dash to the farthest stall from the door and went in, securing the door, holding in her legs together and cowering on the toilet seat like a frightened child hiding from an enraged parent. Yuko tried to suppress her hyperventilating, which only intensified the stinging pain on her shoulder. Face buried into her skirt, Yuko sobbed in fear, unsure whether or not she would die here, with those beastly demons just outside the bathroom door. Her heart throbbed uncontrollably, hastening the blood flowing out of her wound. Exhaustion and dread made Yuko dizzy, and the knowledge of her imminent doom made her tremble in such an intensity which she was unfamiliar with. As her wits slowly came undone, she forgot about why she hated this day so much. She forgot about how she had virtually no sleep last night. She forgot how her stupid alarm clock made her late to school, and how her insatiable lack of sleep took control of her throughout most of the day, much to the chagrin of her instructors. She forgot how she might not ever see Reiko again. She forgot how that cursed storm made her late for the subway. But it didn't matter, anyway. She would die right here, mauled by black octopi with acidic saliva.

What had she done to deserve this? Why would she die in such a gruesome way? Would she never find out why she had been having the same dream for the past five days? Would she never find out what would happen to her best friend, Reiko, who planned on running away? Was there any reason in asking herself such things, when she would never find out the answer?

This day was so weird. On what started as a normal, sleep-deprived school day, Yuko ended up in a restroom stall, waiting to be digested alive by a thousand black shadows with red, beady, hungry eyes. She just hoped there would be no remains for her mother to weep over, if the monsters don't decide to eat everyone else.

As her mind started to glissade nearer to the brink of insanity, her train of thought was suddenly disturbed by a loud, booming POP that could be heard from outside the stall. Yuko squeezed her legs tighter and cast a quick glance at the tiled floor. From what she could make out of the shadows, a humanoid figure, who had somehow entered the restroom without coming through the door, stood, shifting from side to side as if it werelooking for something. Holding her breath, Yuko hoped that it wasn't looking for her.

"Gyeda! Are you here? Show yourself!" A voice like that of an older woman spoke beyond the stall door, "Please tell me you're here! Your being late will only lessen our chances of finding that Valis wielder. That human must be escaping as we speak!"

Silence was the only answer to be heard. The woman tapped one foot in a portrayal of her impatience, with her foot making a weird rapping noise as if something light and sharp was tapping against the ground. Yuko knew not of this "Gyeda," or this "Valis" of which the woman spoke of, but she sounded menacing nonetheless.

"Ugh," A more subdued and agitated voice spoke, "Overlord Rogles will not be happy if we fail to find this possible wielder. If only Gyeda wasn't so slow with his preferred mode of transportation. I certainly hope he hasn't gotten lost again. How troublesome..."

Finally, after a disgusted sigh, another snap filled Yuko's ears, and the shadow of the mysterious woman was nowhere to be seen. Yuko loosened her grip on her legs and sighed a breath of relief after a few seconds, when she realized no one else was in there, nor intended to come in. Her legs started to ache from being in a fixed position for so long, and she wondered if coming out of the stall would be such a bad idea. Sensing no danger beyond the dark blue door of the stall, Yuko finally, yet cautiously, opened the door to reveal no sign of the strange woman ever being there. She wondered if anyone had really appeared out in this restroom just a few minutes ago, or if this being was but an exaggeration of her stressed mind.

Yuko slowly walked out of the stall, daring to stretch her aching joints and muscles from being locked into a fetal-like position for what seemed like forever. Moving towards the mirror behind the sinks, she saw a pathetic looking schoolgirl, face pale as death, hair in disarray, and eyes freshly red from so many tears. On her left shoulder, a chunk of her school uniform was missing completely, with a horribly burned section of flesh visible. Slowly bringing her fingertips to the ends of the gaping hole in her clothes, she could feel the crimson blood soaked into the frayed material, dried up and darkened. The bloodstains enough would've made the uniform unwearable, but the great hole made it clear that she definitely needed a new uniform. How she got this hole would make for an interesting, if not completely ridiculous, story, though this was the least of her problems. She had to find a way out of this restroom without the shadowy black masses outside attacking her. Through some way or another, she had to get out of here.

After constantly staring into her dreary, weak reflection, Yuko turned from the mirror and towards the door, her heart rate going up slightly as she contemplated her next move. But as she did so, another tremor, like the one she had experienced before, shook the ground, causing Yuko to grip the restroom sinks so that she wouldn't loose her balance. This particular earthquake intensified with each passing second, lasting only about ten seconds, but becoming powerful enough to shake off small bits of dust from the ceiling. Yuko's muscles tightened again, and she wanted to retreat back into the stall, when a gruesome looking arm suddenly emerged from the ground, wrapping its large, claw-like fingers around Yuko's right leg. In her state of sudden panic, Yuko spotted another arm wrestling itself out of the ground and slamming its palm onto the ground, causing a small tremor that petrified Yuko where she stood. From underneath the floor, where assorted pipes of the sewer below jutted out, a brownish, vaguely ape-like giant with plates covering most of its bulky, chest-centered frame stood over the frightened young woman. On his face, which looked something like a Noh mask, he wore a most demonic smile as he tightened his grip on Yuko's leg, almost crushing it. Yuko, wide eyed and speechlessly horrified beyond wits, weakly struggled to free her leg, but his grip was beyond adamant, not moving the slightest millimeter.

"Heh, so this is a human, eh?" The giant said in a taunting voice, "What weak things you are."

The armored behemoth released his grip, only to let Yuko slip and fall onto the floor, adding to his amusement. The schoolgirl scrambled back up and ran to the back wall, as this giant from underneath laughed dreadfully while approaching with

his large feet that cracked the ground with every step.

"Say, human. You wouldn't happen to know where a certain holy sword is? Goes by the name of Valis, I think." The colossal monster queried, clenching a fist.

Yuko would've not been able to say anything in her state of shock, but the word 'Valis' suddenly made her mind click, recalling to what that one figure who was in the restroom a few minutes ago said. One name repeated in Yuko's mind.

"Gy...Gyeda...?" She muttered in a pathetic, meek voice.

The great figure carefully eyed the schoolgirl, lifting an eyebrow (if he had one). Slowly, a smile spread across his face, and he laughed again, not as maliciously as before, but still enough to send chills down Yuko's spine.

"Yes, small one. That is my name, though I find it no use for you. Do you or do you not know where the Valis sword is?"

Using what little guts she had, she slowly shook her head, much to the dismay of this plated giant. His vicious smile slowly faded into a frown of disappointment as his fists clenched and popped, causing a great noise that further paralyzed Yuko.

"That is no good for you, then. I cannot have any witnesses, so if you have nothing for my good, you must die."

"N...No..." Yuko went pale at this approaching titan's words, whimpering with absolute dread as her figure shrank down into a huddled mass up against the wall of the restroom. Though like most teenagers of that day, she had never been a devout of any particular religion, she closed her eyes and fervently prayed to God that she would wake up from this horrid nightmare, before Gyeda's opened claw seized Yuko and crushed her like a fragile doll.

In response to her prayer, a voice called out to her, to within her mind.

"Yuko, throw away your perplexity... Take hold the destiny set before you!" It was that same voice from before, the voice from her dreams.

"Wha...?"

Though the message was cryptic, the voice was louder and clearer than that of any dream, and an intense warmth suddenly could be felt within Yuko's closed palms. As she opened her eyes, a bright flashing light came from the source of this heat, blinding Yuko and Gyeda both. Time seemed to stay still for a few seconds, until the massive brilliance finally died down to reveal that same dream sword Yuko had been seeing for the past five days. The hilt was as beautiful as ever, with it's two flawless sapphires embedded into it. But this was saying nothing of the blade, whose pure white made it look as if its entire edge was made of light. As she held this weapon, a strange feeling overcame her. It was a feeling akin to adrenaline, a sort of strong bravado running in her veins. She no longer felt in danger, but instead felt a sudden urge to fight back. Turning to where the stunned Gyeda stood, his gargantuan palm still open, Yuko brought down this shining blade with both hands. In mid-slash, her blade slowed for a second, before making contact with the floor. An unearthly roar shook the foundations of the room, making more bits of debris rain down from the ceiling. As the great Gyeda clutched his opened palm, Yuko realized that she had not only made contact, but caused her assailant intense pain.

"Wh-what is that?!" Gyeda screamed with an ear shattering volume, "Can it be? The sword of Valis?!?"

Hearing this exclamation, Yuko stared at this flashing sword that she now brandished in two sweaty palms. The sword of Valis was the very sword that had haunted her dreams? So Gyeda and the mysterious woman were looking for her all along? Why did this sword choose her as it's master? She certainly didn't choose it.

But this was no time to be indecisive or baffled by circumstances. Although Gyeda was wounded, he still seemed anxious about fulfilling his duty. A fight was about to ensue, and she had to make her next move while he was distracted.

With Gyeda holding in the purple liquid that flowed freely from his wound, Yuko ran up to him and brought down her sword again, making a crescent motion with the tip of her sword. Gyeda, more experienced in battle than this small human, quickly jumped back to avoid the sharpness of the Valis sword, but failed to take into account the bright beam its crescent slash made, colliding with the very middle of Gyeda's frame, creating a charred and bleeding line from the top of his head to the

bottom of his torso.

"GAH!" Gyeda cried in absolute anguish, making even the dauntless Yuko step back, "Y...YOU!"

Pulling his arms away from his scarred face, he quickly tucked in the top part of his body within his lower part, forming a red, plated ball that rushed into Yuko, scraping up tiles from behind its spinning. Yuko, now almost totally absorbed into

the fight with Gyeda, sidestepped from the rolling red orb in a seemingly effortless manner. Gyeda's ball form shattered through the wall, creating a gaping black hole with assorted pipes sticking out. Yuko took a few steps toward the door, but faced the hole where Gyeda was, gripping her weapon and readying for another assault. The giant monster took hold of the two ends of the smashed wall and shot a piercing glare at Yuko. Her inner Japanese schoolgirl quivered in fear, but the long-dormant warrior that was now taking over did not falter one bit.

"Do not take me lightly, girl! I am a dark lord in the Overlord Rogles' service! I will crush a mere child such as yourself!"

Using his limitless strength, he ripped off gigantic chunks of the wall and hurled them at Yuko like misshapen disks. Yuko deftly ducked under the high speed projectiles and ran for Gyeda, who had just climbed out of the hole. Though he was outrageously bulky, Gyeda had reflexes faster than most, and used them to sideswipe the incoming swordswoman. However, the gift of Valis not only gave Yuko an untapped bravery, but also wit and cunning she never knew she had. Gyeda's hulking arm swung fast and hard, but ultimately swinging too early and missing Yuko by a hair's width. This left Gyeda wide open for Yuko's third vertical swing, this time cutting clean through the gigantic appendage that was Gyeda's arm. His bulky left weapon, cut off a few centimeters above the elbow, steamed from the point of amputation, purple blood spreading all over the ruined floor. Yuko jumped back and waited for another possible move from Gyeda.

"Y-You bitch!" thundered Gyeda, trying to stop the river of violet lifeblood from gushing out of his missing appendage, "I will remember this! No one defies the Great Rogles and lives, human!!!"

With another bloodcurdling roar of suffering, Gyeda's image suddenly dissipated with another loud crack and a flash of darkness that occurred too quickly for Yuko to follow with her eyes. But it didn't matter. She had successfully repelled this great giant and survived this potentially dire fight.

The very thought of how dire this fight could have been, coupled with the sudden realization of what she had just done made Yuko's knees quiver, and unexpectedly give out from under her. The shock returned Yuko to her normal self, who was more than just fatigued from this conflict.

Holding her head with the hand not grasping her newfound weapon she sighed, "Wh... what happened? How did I...?"

As she tried to come to terms with the fact that she just sliced off the arm of a dark lord, her eyes suddenly found the arm of Gyeda, now slightly spasming in it's own blood. Yuko's first response was to gag in an absolute, stomach-turning feeling of disgust. But then, the arm suddenly froze in place, then slowly crumpled into a pile of dust. Within this ashen island surrounded by a bloody ocean, a gleaming blue gem could be seen. Though tired beyond words, Yuko found the strength to stand up and approach this gleaming treasure that called to her, much like the sword called to her in her dreams. Yuko walked through the thick, purple blood and knelt next to the pile of dust, where this jewel was slightly obscured. She reached out her hand carefully and plucked this stone from the grayed pile, and examined the shimmering object. A certain feeling of absolute strength emitted from this jewel. Holding the gem tight, Yuko felt as though she could literally move mountains and shake the earth. But her lack of stamina prevented her from testing such ridiculous notions and made her entire body numb again. Leaning on her Valis sword for support, Yuko's eyelids slowly closed and everything went dark. The day had ended, and sleep beckoned her into the world of dreams.

This was one odd day, indeed.


	3. ACT 2: Pantheon of the Dark Gods

Valis – Warrior of Infinity

**ACT 2**: Pantheon of the Dark Gods

ZeLoz (aka Bill)

There was once a time when the world of Dreams, the world of Darkness, and the world of Humans were joined together within one world named "Gaia." During this age, a terrible war broke out between the two nations of this world, Fantasma and Vecanta. The Elders, Soothsayers, and Prophets of both factions predicted the forming of a new world filled with fertility and hope, and with rumors of Armageddon becoming more and more widespread amongst the people, both sides wanted their people and respective cultures to prosper eternally, even at the expense of the other nation. Thus, every part of Gaia soon became a battlefield; grim, morbid, and without shelter. Both combatants were merciless, showing no quarter to their enemies, nor those who allied with them in any way. There came a time in this eternally damned chapter of history when Gaia's soil was so bloodstained, and the skies so filled with the smoke and fog of war, that vegetation simply ceased to exist. The weak died without the privilege of remorse, and the strong struggled immensely to survive such trying times.

The Creator, deeply saddened by this endless conflict and hatred, summoned a great titan to ravage both war-torn nations to show that neither side of the feud was favored. Nonetheless, both Fantasma and Vecanta sent their best armies to dispatch of this menace, but in costly vain.

It was evident that if either side continued to work to the destruction of the other, Gaia would cease to be. So, in an act of total desperation, both nations called upon their respective champions to work together in the slaying of this god-like beast. The Creator was pleased to hear of this, and bestowed upon them two swords rumored to be capable of tearing the very fibers of reality. Vecanta's champion, a valiant warrior gifted with legendary strength and fiery determination, was granted the wide-bladed great sword Leethus. Fantasma's champion, a veteran swordswoman with agility and reflexes unrivaled by any living mortal, was bestowed the sleek long sword Valis. The formation of their unbreakable bond against the titanic menace officially ended the war, and began the bitter and interminable battle with the titan. Though the contention was seemingly endless and uncertain, it was the giant monstrosity that fell. The two were hailed as heroes, and became the rulers of their home nations. The Creator restored all lost life and gave Gaia the ability to sustain living beings once more. Peace seemed to have been restored at last.

But The Creator saw that the two nations were still just two separate nations, leaving the potential of yet another war that would threaten all of existence. To prevent such a catastrophe from happening, the Creator divided Gaia into three separate worlds, with Fantasma becoming the World of Dreams, Vecanta becoming the World of Darkness, and the third world, the prophesied world from before the war, became the world of Humans.

Though these events had transgressed eons ago, the scars from these times were far from forgotten in the Dream World. One noticeable reminder is the Castle Vanity and the surrounding empire of Vecanti. In the time of the war on Gaia, both were once part of a great stronghold of Vecanta before the forces of Fantasma took over the area wholesale. Ever since, Vecanti has become the shining crown of the Dream World, with Castle Vanity its glimmering crown jewel.

And yet another relic of the past lies just on the other side of the Dream World, holding a considerably different connotation. Named the Black Plains, this wasteland had never seen life since the battle that raged without end on its surface for twenty years straight. Nothing grew on its cursed soil since, with only the shadow of death hanging over the land.

It is here that the twisted citadel of Rogles stood.

"Looks like you've failed again, Gyeda," the haughty dark lord of fire said mockingly, "With such insolence, I find it hard to believe that you are in the service of Rogles, much less the holder of the 'Dark Lord' title."

"Shut your tongue before I rip it out, Venon," growled Gyeda in a low, menacing tone that showed no hint of an empty threat.

"Hmph, you were hardly minatory with two arms. With one arm, you're just pathetic, possibly more pathetic than you look." Venon smirked, unfazed.

"Let me show you how pathetic I am!"

The one-armed giant started to charge at Venon, who continued his offensive grin of self-satisfaction. But before he was able to raise his arm to throttle the cocky demon's neck, a green-skinned winged woman with large talons and flowing yellow hair swooped down in front of Gyeda to halt his advance, with a scowl that made this plated behemoth slightly tremble.

"Stop, Gyeda. You are in no condition to silence this traitorous buffoon. He only insults you to take advantage of you," She commanded.

"Traitorous? On what grounds do you place that claim, Geeva?" Venon spat, now slightly offended.

"Enough. You are not as cunning as you fool yourself to be," Geeva turned her fiery gaze to Venon.

"Yes, Venon. I'd be careful with doubting what Overlord Rogles' gatherer of information says," a voice called out from what seemed to be outside of the windows at the right side of the chamber.

A gigantic, concentrated gust of wind blew in from the nearby balcony, striking the ebony marble floor with tremendous force. From the clearing wisps of dust stood the shape of a man in baggy robes and a cap made from a large, wound piece of white material.

"Izard, entering in your usual flashy manner," Venon remarked with a snide tone in his voice, "Tell me, stray dog of Valia, what do the winds of change tell you?"

"Do not ask me such meaningless questions, lesser demon," the wind mage said calmly, "It would be wise for you to keep silent, if you wish to live long."

"Hah! Getting on everyone's nerves already, Venon?" Another voice, one massive and deep, spoke from the other side of the vast room. From within its shadows, the sound of four colossal feet making their slow approach. The dusky light of the balcony revealed two serpentine necks protruding from the body of a titanic reptilian quadruped. On the ends of these necks, the twin heads of the dark dragon Voldes observed the bickering of the other dark lords with beady, crimson eyes.

"Don't patronize me, you big oaf," Venon, now visibly irritated, turned to the towering dragon and growled.

"Then stop patronizing everyone else, you insolent fool!" Voldes' left head snapped.

"And do not try to insult Gyeda unless you know what he was actually up against," the other head added.

"Honestly now! Are we to be afraid of this mere child, who has probably never wielded a sword in her life?"

"You underestimate the power of the Sword of Valis, Venon. To mock its power is to spit in the face of fate," Izard remarked solemnly, kneeling his head low.

"And you make a senseless mistake in overestimating it, Izard."

This voice; rough, deep and mechanical; came from the very direction of the throne of the audience chamber. Rising from said throne, the Overlord Rogles, in his flowing night-colored cape and gilded mask and shoulder guards forged from the flames of Hell, overlooked his servants with a cold stare through the slits in his shining visor.

"If the Sword of Valis was at the level of power it was when I faced Valia," Rogles continued, "Geeva would've been lucky to bring back an arm, or even anything that looked remotely like Gyeda. Certainly, this was not the case. Gyeda is alive and well, and we must not only be thankful for this."

"Thankful? But sire," Venon spoke, pointing accusingly at Gyeda "He... That bumbling fool let that human child escape, and with a weapon so powerful..."

"She is an easy target with a weapon so powerful!" Rogles exclaimed, cutting him off, "We must realize that the sword in the human's hands will not reach its full potential, and since Valia has passed her only advantage against us to such inexperienced hands, this young woman may not be as powerful as we thought. She may have been able to best Gyeda in combat, but that was only because he was caught off-guard."

"But Gyeda lost his Fantasm Jewel to her! The Fantasm Jewel of Earth!"

"Silence Venon! What of it? Does she know how to tap into its power? To her, it is probably no more than a pretty stone, a blue rock. My friends, we must certainly take caution, for she has one of the two holy swords, but we must remember that she is still just a child! How could you, the Dark Lords respected and feared all throughout this realm, have any fear regarding this mere woman? With the exception of Gyeda, you have your Fantasm Jewels. The powers of Water, Wind, Fire, Lightning, and Life itself are still within our control. If we just play our cards right, we will regain our lost Jewel, obtain the very Sword of Valis, and effectively crush the last hope of our enemies, thereby taking hold of the World of Dreams so we can create our own world!"

"So we fight this new warrior of Valis?" Izard, rubbing his chin, queried skeptically, "How much caution do we take, then?"

"We have only one threat to our ambitions, and she may not even be a worthy opponent. You will take to your respective strongholds and await further orders there. I will communicate to you via astral projection. Geeva, scour the land for this wielder of Valis, for Valia may have pulled her so-called 'champion' into this world already. Gyeda, as soon as we have your prosthetic arm ready, you will follow Geeva closely. Do not stray, or you may lose more than another arm next time."

"I understand, milord," Gyeda knelt down as low as he could and acknowledged his master's request.

"I will tell my other six generals of our plans." Rogles carried on, "Meanwhile, our champion, the counterpoint to Valia's human warrior, now rests in our ranks. If Gyeda's assailant proves to be any more of a threat, she will be tasked with eliminating said potential threat."

"I am curious, Lord Rogles," Izard expressed, "Who have you designated for our champion?"

"Yes, I too would like to know what you've dug up," Voldes' left head stated.

The dark corridor, dimly lit with torches ablaze with the green glow of Darkfire, led to two large, ornate doors. The doors, made with the finest of ebony Treant (demon tree) bark, were lined with golden artifacts and all matter of fearful looking decorations. The young man ran his fingers through his jet black hair and sighed somewhat nervously.

"Well, this must be it," He uttered breathlessly, wrapping his fingers around the colossal handles. Rogles' chamber was just beyond these doors...

"Huh?"

His exclamation, more of a gasp than a proper interjection, was from what he saw before him. What lie beyond the great doors was not what he had expected at all. Above the room, which seemed to be as tall and as baroque as the great hall of the castle should have been, hung an awfully arabesque chandelier made purely of gold. An ostentatious vanity with a large mirror and various trinkets sat alongside drawers made of a wood akin to polished chestnut. Opposite the door, he could see a sumptuous grandfather clock of a large nature, ticking the seconds away with a deep tone. Such touches reminded him of a time in his life, three years ago.

But something else caught his attention, something that made his breathing, and his heart, stop for a spit second.

She didn't look more than fifteen years old, sleeping peacefully in the middle of the large bed that sat across from the vanity. On the soft-looking, porcelain colored sheets, the young woman was curled up in a fetal position, her short, yet oddly arresting amber hair swaying across the captivating features of her face as she softly breathed in and out peacefully. Her face was a slight tan, giving him the impression that she was probably Asian, but it was stunning nonetheless. She was dolled up in a white sweater and a long blue skirt, both of which looked like they were a part of some sort of uniform. It had been so long since he had seen another human, and he had forgotten how beautiful those of the fairer sex of his kind were.

"Another... human?" he said to himself in a whisper-like stammer. She wondered who this maiden was, and what she was doing in the Dream World.

"Breathtaking, isn't she?" A deep, hollow, and somewhat machine-like voice spoke just behind him, and from an uncomfortable distance.

A strong gauntleted hand clutched his shoulder and sent chills down his spine. Face deathly pale and legs just about to give in, he creaked his head to the side, where he saw the gleam of a golden visor looking over his shoulder. This figure, tightening his grip, snapped it's head to return his gaze.

"You must be that young man from the World of Darkness. I presume you were looking for me?" The masked man questioned.

"Rogles?"

The Overlord turned away and walked past the startled human, stopping about a meter from the young girl's bed. Suddenly, as if sensing the presence of the cloaked figure, her eyes shot open, and she slowly rose from the bed outstretching her arms and yawning in the most angelic tone the boy had ever heard.

"Rogles... sama..." She spoke, her eyes narrowed in post-sleep drowsiness. Upon her lips, a blissful smile spread across her face in the direction of Rogles.

The young woman brought her slender legs to the end of the bed nearest Rogles and sat, beaming whimsically. He who was thoroughly infatuated with this red-haired damsel, slowly sank back into his soft-eyed admiration state, only to be brought back to reality when Rogles sat by her and, in what seemed to be a sign of affection, draped his cloaked arm around her. She gently sighed and leaned on him, still tired. Something didn't seem right.

"You look pale, boy," Rogles suddenly stated, snapping him out of his shock, "I take it your portal to the Dream World wasn't too much of a rough trip?"

"Um... no, Lord Rogles. I'm fine. I just-"

"Oi, who are you?" The woman, who seemed surprised by the other human's presence, inquired. Her tone wasn't exactly harsh, being that she was still somewhat sleepy, but it caught the boy off guard."

"Reiko, this is someone I summoned from the Dark World to help us in our mission. He is a talented human, much like you, who has had training in swordplay and the dark arts," the overlord explained to the young woman, like a father to his child, "What is your name, boy?"

"I am Ziel," he stated. With his state of infatuation expelled somewhat, he was able to talk properly again.

"Well, Ziel. You have made a profitable choice in assisting me, but I know that your intentions are not necessarily that of mine. However, this means naught to me. I will fill my end of the bargain if you fulfill yours, understand?"

"Yes, Lord Rogles," Ziel knelt before his new master.

"Very well. You will find an assistant of mine outside these doors, waiting to lead you into your chambers. Prepare yourself, for I have intention on making you as useful as I deem fit. I have matters to discuss with Reiko, so I must ask you to leave her room posthaste,"

Ziel silently nodded in agreement, and spun on his heel towards the door. As he did so, and as he was greeted by the ferocious-looking minotaur outside, a strange sense of dread overcame him. It was a feeling invoked from past experiences, which he felt might be repeated soon.

If this Reiko was to Rogles as he had been to Iilis, that cursed succubus that had lured him into the hellish underworld that was Atziluth, he feared that the maiden whom he had been so stricken with for a full five minutes might fall in the same trap he had those years ago.

Was this Rogles trustworthy enough? It was a question Ziel learned he always had to ask himself when under the servitude of another. Still, if he could very well be trusted, he might be able to receive the one thing he had wanted most for three long, torturous years.

The prospect of home seemed just a bit closer...


End file.
